


Clean Slate

by mirilik



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Boys Kissing, Cheating, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, M/M, not between H & L
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22067761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mirilik/pseuds/mirilik
Summary: Nope. No. Harry would not go there.Definitelynot. He would not breach that topic that was Aiden’s boyfriend. Aiden’s beautiful, funny, caring, lovable boyfriend who always threw a nice smile in Harry’s direction that made him weak in the knees. He would not think about Louis Tomlinson again. He would not think about the crush he had on the other boy since his first year in uni. He would not think about how he was always too shy to ask him out. And he would not think about the deep disappointment he felt when Louis walked into his flat, Aiden’s arm draped over his shoulders and introducing Louis as his new boyfriend.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson, Louis Tomlinson/Original Male Character(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 143





	Clean Slate

**Author's Note:**

> I discovered the 366 Days of Writing [Prompt Calendar](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-uldXAiFZfjN0LEAq8aHizwbodJRgsof3gV3gZQniUs/edit#gid=1658358771) by dimpled-halo on tumblr today and at first I just wanted to save the post so I had some prompts if I ever would find the motivation again to write. Turns out that not twenty minutes later I sat down, opened an empty document and typed this little story out in about an hour. There are probably several mistakes in this, so I am sorry about that.
> 
> Thank you @dimpled-halo for creating this awesome calendar and for motivating me to write again. :)

Harry has had enough. With stomping feet and unintelligible words grumbled under his breath he stormed through his flat.  
Not _his_ flat. The flat he was sharing with Aiden. And Harry has finally had enough. He was just so sick and tired of constantly having to remind Aiden to turn off the stove when he was done cooking. Or to open the windows in the kitchen when they were fogged up from steam. Or to clean up the food leftovers that Aiden managed to spread all over the kitchen, the hallway and the tiny living room they shared. And so many more things.

He was so done with playing the part of the bad cop. He wasn’t Aiden’s mother, for fuck’s sake. He was just his flatmate who tried to have a nice and cozy flat where he could relax after another excruciating day at uni or work. It was supposed to be his safe haven. And he loved this flat. But now all that it represented was another stressful part of his day, when Harry once again had to discover what kind of damage Aiden produced while Harry was gone. 

“I hate this. I fucking hate this,” Harry said. It wasn’t a problem that he was loudly talking to himself now. Aiden wasn’t there. Of course he wasn’t. He had fucked off to his family on Christmas Eve, just a few days after Harry himself had left the flat to spent Christmas and New Year’s with his family in Cheshire. 

He knew that he would come back to a messy flat. That being said didn’t smaller the shock and the disappointment that flowed through Harry’s body as soon as he had opened the door and seen all the empty beer bottles scattered all over the place. There were empty plates covering the coffee table, clothes lying in front of Aiden’s room in the hallway and mouldy containers sitting on the kitchen table. 

And - this was too much. 

“ _Fuck_!” Harry screamed. He sunk down onto the old sofa and buried his face in his hands. Tears pricked in his eyes which frustrated him even more. He already spent too much time venting to his family and friends about his stupid flatmate. He knew that he was spreading so much negativity with this topic but he apparently just couldn’t stop. And now he was sitting there again, crying over that stupid arsehole while he was probably partying away somewhere or meeting his pretty boyfriend. 

Nope. No. Harry would not go there. _Definitely_ not. He would not breach that topic that was Aiden’s boyfriend. Aiden’s beautiful, funny, caring, lovable boyfriend who always threw a nice smile in Harry’s direction that made him weak in the knees. He would not think about Louis Tomlinson again. He would not think about the crush he had on the other boy since his first year in uni. He would not think about how he was always too shy to ask him out. And he would not think about the deep disappointment he felt when Louis walked into his flat, Aiden’s arm draped over his shoulders and introducing Louis as his new boyfriend. 

If Harry hadn’t been so deep in his head, he probably would’ve heard the front door opening and closing. He would’ve heard the small steps that came closer and closer towards the living room. And he wouldn’t have gotten nearly a heart attack when suddenly a warm body appeared next to him.

“Jesus!” Harry gasped and jumped at least a foot into the air before he realized who has just sat down next to him.

“Sorry, sorry, Haz. I thought you heard me,” Louis smiled sheepishly, his hands thrown up in front of his chest. “Hey, are you alright?” His tone was soft, nearly as soft as the look in his eyes while he observed Harry’s reaction.

Harry sniffed and quickly wiped his eyes. Stupid tears over stupid Aiden. “Yeah, of course, Lou.” He tried a little smile but the frown on Louis’ face told him that it wasn’t convincing. 

“If - I mean I’m not sure that it’s my place but… if you want to talk about it, I’m here okay?” Louis said, careful smile once again on his face. 

Harry swallowed. He needed to look away. No, he needed to walk away, better sit in the next plane to where ever just so he wouldn’t do something stupid like flinging himself into Louis’ arms and telling him how much he liked him. He was just so pretty. Even with the small bags under his mesmerizing blue eyes that Harry loved so much. Especially while wearing another one of his oversized hoodies he seemed to drown in and those trackies that Harry knew hugged Louis’ bum just right. 

“Fuck, Aiden is one lucky bastard,” is what Harry said instead and while Louis’ eyebrows climbed up his forehead in surprise could Harry only bury his face in his hands once again. He was a fucking idiot.

He felt Louis shuffling next to him, positioning his upper body more in Harry’s direction. “What do you mean?”

“Nothing,” Harry immediately spat out. “Nothing, don’t worry about it. I was just - stupid. Yeah. Sorry. So, Aiden isn’t here. And - yeah, I just leave you to whatever. Wait for him or -” Harry stopped talking and stood up. This was the worst day of his _life_. First the messy flat and then he was making an absolute arse out of himself in front of Louis. 

“Aiden and I broke up,” is what makes Harry stop in his tracks. He’s not sure if he should turn around or. What does that mean?

“Or more precisely. I broke up with him,” Louis continued, completely ignoring Harry’s frozen state. 

Harry shakily breathed in. His heart felt like it was beating out of his chest. _Why_ was Louis telling him that?

“You know,” Louis started again, his voice coming closer and closer until he was once again right in front of Harry, so the younger man had no other choice but to lift his head and look at Louis again. _God_ he was pretty. The pretties man he had ever seen. “To be honest I was done with Aiden for a while. And I told him that much. Told him that I didn’t like how irresponsible he was, how he didn’t seem to care about anyone or anything. I -” he coughed slightly. 

Harry was pretty sure that this right there was a blush on his cheeks. He was also pretty sure that he was suffering from heart failure in just a few short moments.

“Well, I also told him that I hated how he treated you. How disrespectful he was and how he couldn’t just do whatever he wanted in your shared flat. He didn’t really seem to understand why I was so adamant on that particular point, but to my surprise he promised me to change. And he promised that time and time again until I’ve finally had enough.”

Harry took a deep breath, he felt a little dizzy. So Louis and Aiden were over? Would Louis leave his life now completely? Should Harry ask? Should he leave him be? Why was this all so complicated? All that Harry knew for sure was that Louis was one of the best people he had ever gotten to know. His personality could fill stadiums, Harry was sure of that. He was just sunshine personified. If Harry had any talent in writing poetry or songs, he could probably fill albums about Louis. And he still barely knew him. Didn’t know his favourite show or how he liked his tea. Didn’t know what his plans for the future were. If he wanted to have kids. If he wanted to move to another place after he graduated. If he maybe was open to dating another man so soon after his breakup…

“Why are you telling me this, Louis? You don’t have to explain yourself to me, you know that?” Harry asked. It seemed a good beginning like any other. 

Louis had his hands wrung together in front of his body and was slightly bobbing up and down on his toes. If Harry didn’t know any better he would say that Louis was nervous. 

“You know I think all these New Year’s resolutions are bullshit. All this new year new beginnings yadda yadda,” Louis started, slight frown on his face, his eyebrows furrowed.

“Okay,” Harry nodded. He did not know where this came from, but as long as he could hear Louis’ voice a bit longer he didn’t mind the change of topic. 

“Yeah, but somehow this time I participated in all that crap. I thought about a new year and a clean slate, you know? And I knew that I wanted to break up with Aiden for a long time. So why not now? Why not start 2020 right. So I did it. And now I am here to get my last few things I left here and to leave my set of keys here and to… to- gosh, I hate this.” The end was mumbled into his hands. 

Harry could still see Louis’ cute little ears. They were definitely red. 

“To?” Harry asked, his dimple popping in his left cheek. He couldn’t help it. Louis was too cute. 

“Fuck, okay,” Louis said, heaving a deep breath. “I am also here to see you. Because I like you. I have liked you for a long time. And - I know this must be weird for you seeing as I am your flatmate’s ex-boyfriend and I am pretty sure that you hate him, seeing as he’s an arsehole but I still somehow hope that you know that I am not like him. And I’ve known you a little for a few months now but I really want to get to know you. I would love to take you out on a date. Or if you don’t want that if that’s too weird, maybe just as friends? Because I think we could be great friends and yeah.” 

To say that Harry felt stunned was probably an understatement. There he was, Louis Tomlinson, Harry’s crush since two years asking Harry out on a date. What even was his life anymore? 

Harry felt his mouth open and close but no words came out. 

“Fuck,” Louis sighed, his body long gone tense. “I knew this was weird. I just - Niall said that I should finally do something about my ridiculous pining. And fuck, you probably think I am the biggest arsehole, pining over someone else while being in a relationship but - it’s not as bad as you think. I mean, I’m pretty sure Aiden cheated on me with his lab partner and - what am I even doing here?” Louis was slowly shaking his head. His mouth turned down. “I’m just gonna get my things and then I’m out of your hair.”

With that he turned around and the next thing Harry heard was the opening and closing of Aiden’s door. 

The thoughts in his head were running wild. Niall? Harry’s best friend Niall? When did he talk to Louis? And, hold on a second, Aiden was fucking cheating? On Louis? What the - Harry was not a violent person but he might or might not have been planning Aiden’s murder right in that moment. That was until he heard Aiden’s room door once again opening and closing and suddenly all the thoughts in Harry’s mind stopped. 

There was only one important thing to do now.

“Louis! Wait!” Harry yelled, way too loud for the small flat and rushed into the hallway where he ran straight into Louis and nearly brought them both tumbling down onto the ground if Louis wouldn’t have caught them both with his muscled arms and thighs. Fuck, Harry felt his cock twitch in his jeans.

“Yes?” Louis chuckled, although his eyes still seemed sad. Not good enough.

“I am not sure I’ve understood everything you just told me but I would love to go on a date with you. I want to get to know you, Lou. Wanted that since first year. I’ve got the biggest crush on you and I think you are the best person I know and- hmmm.”

Louis’ lips were warm and soft. Harry could feel the tiny smile pressed into his own lips and he couldn’t stop his hands from immediately finding their place on Louis’ hips, pulling him close. Arms wound themselves around Harry’s neck, clever fingers gripping his hair and pulling lightly while simultaneously Louis’ tongue licked a stripe over Harry’s bottom lip, seeking entrance. 

Harry didn’t know anything anymore. He just knew that he was somehow kissing Louis, that Louis was probably the best kisser he had ever met and that he would gladly suffocate if it meant that he could continue carressing Louis’ tongue with his own and just keep kissing him just like that. 

As it was they both eventually needed to breathe, but Harry held them close, pressing his forehead against Louis’.

“Fuck,” he breathed and chuckled lightly. “You’ve already ruined me, Lou.” 

He felt how Louis raised onto his tippy toes, embracing Harry even tighter and burrowing his face into Harry’s neck. 

“Go on a date with me?” he whispered, causing goosebumps to arise all over Harry’s body.

“Yes, definitely. Let’s leave this place immediately.”

Louis nodded. “Clean slate, right?”

“Definitely.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was basically an ode to the prettiest man in the world, Louis Tomlinson. I have no regrets.   
> Leave a comment or kudos if you've liked this, thank you :)


End file.
